Obama pursues base, bucks in California

Campaign 2012

Updated 11:55 am, Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

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President Obama waved to a small crowd as he walked down the stairs from Air Force One. President Obama landed at San Francisco International Airport Monday October 8, 2012 on a campaign, fundraising trip to the Bay Area.

President Obama waved to a small crowd as he walked down the stairs from Air Force One. President Obama landed at San Francisco International Airport Monday October 8, 2012 on a campaign, fundraising trip to

President Obama smiled and spoke to a small crowd at the airport before departing. President Obama landed at San Francisco International Airport Monday October 8, 2012 on a campaign, fundraising trip to the Bay Area.

President Obama smiled and spoke to a small crowd at the airport before departing. President Obama landed at San Francisco International Airport Monday October 8, 2012 on a campaign, fundraising trip to the Bay

Hilda Robinson of Oakland stands in the crowd awaiting President Obama's arrival at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium for a fundraising dinner and a concert featuring performances by musicians John Legend and Michael Franti. less

Hilda Robinson of Oakland stands in the crowd awaiting President Obama's arrival at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium for a fundraising dinner and a concert featuring performances by musicians John Legend and ... more

Photo: Mike Kepka, The Chronicle

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Waiting for Obama to arrive for a fundraiser at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Brian Good, of Palo Alto, Calif., holds a sign of protest on Monday Oct. 10, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif.

Waiting for Obama to arrive for a fundraiser at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Brian Good, of Palo Alto, Calif., holds a sign of protest on Monday Oct. 10, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif.

Fran Cavenaugh of Walnut Creek shows her support for Mitt Romney before the president's arrival at the auditorium.

Fran Cavenaugh of Walnut Creek shows her support for Mitt Romney before the president's arrival at the auditorium.

Photo: Mike Kepka, The Chronicle

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President Obama laughed as he thanked supporters at the airport. President Obama landed at San Francisco International Airport Monday October 8, 2012 on a campaign, fundraising trip to the Bay Area.

President Obama laughed as he thanked supporters at the airport. President Obama landed at San Francisco International Airport Monday October 8, 2012 on a campaign, fundraising trip to the Bay Area.

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

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Air Force One arrives in San Francisco. President Obama landed at San Francisco International Airport Monday October 8, 2012 on a campaign, fundraising trip to the Bay Area.

Air Force One arrives in San Francisco. President Obama landed at San Francisco International Airport Monday October 8, 2012 on a campaign, fundraising trip to the Bay Area.

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

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President Obama spoke briefly with guests at the bottom of the staircase. President Obama landed at San Francisco International Airport Monday October 8, 2012 on a campaign, fundraising trip to the Bay Area.

President Obama spoke briefly with guests at the bottom of the staircase. President Obama landed at San Francisco International Airport Monday October 8, 2012 on a campaign, fundraising trip to the Bay Area.

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

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President Barack Obama gestures after arriving at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Monday, Oct. 8, 2012. The President is spending the night in San Francisco campaigning and fundraising. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

President Barack Obama gestures after arriving at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Monday, Oct. 8, 2012. The President is spending the night in San Francisco campaigning and fundraising.

President Barack Obama is greeted by a boy in the crowd after arriving at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Monday, Oct. 8, 2012. The President is spending the night in San Francisco campaigning and fundraising. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) less

President Barack Obama is greeted by a boy in the crowd after arriving at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Monday, Oct. 8, 2012. The President is spending the night in San Francisco ... more

Photo: Eric Risberg, Associated Press

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Waiting for Obama to arrive for a fundraiser at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Michael McGinnis sells Obama coin banks that he made for the event on Monday Oct. 10, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif.

Waiting for Obama to arrive for a fundraiser at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Michael McGinnis sells Obama coin banks that he made for the event on Monday Oct. 10, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo: Mike Kepka, The Chronicle

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Waiting for Obama to arrive for a fundraiser at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Wonderful Wright, of San Francisco, Calif., calls a friend to announce that is waiting in line to see the president on Monday Oct. 10, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif. less

Waiting for Obama to arrive for a fundraiser at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Wonderful Wright, of San Francisco, Calif., calls a friend to announce that is waiting in line to see the president on Monday ... more

Photo: Mike Kepka, The Chronicle

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Waiting for President Obama to arrive for a fundraiser at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Stacy Lawrence and her son Maxwell Martinez Lawrence, 7, hold on to each in line on Monday Oct. 10, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif. less

Waiting for President Obama to arrive for a fundraiser at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Stacy Lawrence and her son Maxwell Martinez Lawrence, 7, hold on to each in line on Monday Oct. 10, 2012 in San ... more

Photo: Mike Kepka, The Chronicle

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Hilda Robinson, of Oakland, waits for Obama to arrive for a fundraiser at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Monday Oct. 10, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif.

Hilda Robinson, of Oakland, waits for Obama to arrive for a fundraiser at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Monday Oct. 10, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo: Mike Kepka, The Chronicle

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Thousands wait for to see President Obama at a fundraiser at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Monday Oct. 10, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif.

Thousands wait for to see President Obama at a fundraiser at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Monday Oct. 10, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo: Mike Kepka, The Chronicle

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The motorcade of US President Barack Obama drives into downtown San Francisco on October 8, 2012. Obama is on a three-day trip during which he will campaign in California and Ohio as well as attend the establishment of the Cesar Chavez National Monument. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKIBRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/GettyImages

The motorcade of US President Barack Obama drives into downtown San Francisco on October 8, 2012. Obama is on a three-day trip during which he will campaign in California and Ohio as well as attend the

The shadow of Air Force One with President Barack Obama aboard is seen as it flies over the San Mateo Bridge and San Francisco Bay en rout to the San Francisco International Airport , Monday, Oct. 8, 2012, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) less

The shadow of Air Force One with President Barack Obama aboard is seen as it flies over the San Mateo Bridge and San Francisco Bay en rout to the San Francisco International Airport , Monday, Oct. 8, 2012, in ... more

Photo: Carolyn Kaster, Associated Press

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US President Barack Obama lays a rose at the grave of Cesar Chavez with his widow Helen F. Chavez during a tour of a memorial garden at the Chavez National Monument October 8, 2012 in Keene, California. Obama visited the memorial which honors Cesar E. Chavez, an American civil rights activist and labor leader, who helped found the National Farm Workers Association and died in 1993 while also campaigning in California. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKIBRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/GettyImages

US President Barack Obama lays a rose at the grave of Cesar Chavez with his widow Helen F. Chavez during a tour of a memorial garden at the Chavez National Monument October 8, 2012 in Keene, California. Obama

(L-R) Paul F. Chavez, son of Cesar Chavez, Helen F. Chavez, widow of Cesar Chavez, US President Barack Obama, Dolores Huerta, Co-Founder of the United Farm Workers, and Arturo S. Rodriguez, President, United Farm Workers, walk to visit the grave of Cesar Chavez during a tour of a memorial garden at the Chavez National Monument October 8, 2012 in Keene, California. Obama visited the memorial which honors Cesar E. Chavez, an American civil rights activist and labor leader, who helped found the National Farm Workers Association and died in 1993 while also campaigning in California. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKIBRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/GettyImages

The president takes the stage to address a raucous crowd of 6,000 supporters inside the Civic Auditorium.

The president takes the stage to address a raucous crowd of 6,000 supporters inside the Civic Auditorium.

Photo: Mike Kepka, The Chronicle

Obama pursues base, bucks in California

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On a visit to pick up California votes and cash, President Obama said in San Francisco on Monday night that "I very much intend to win this election" and implored supporters to redouble their efforts because "we're only going to do it if everybody is almost obsessive for the next 29 days."

It was a provocative statement on the day when he started to see blowback in the polls from his widely panned debate performance last week.

Obama's 12th presidential visit to San Francisco included a trio of fundraisers that began with a round table for 25 deep-pocketed donors at the InterContinental Hotel, where tickets cost $40,000 each. He then visited with 100 people who paid $20,000 each to have dinner with the president inside the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. He capped the evening with a raucous fundraiser for 6,000 roaring supporters inside the auditorium.

After crisscrossing California to lean on two key groups critical to his 2012 re-election campaign - wealthy Democratic donors in San Francisco and Latinos in Kern County - the president told his supporters at the dinner, "I am very competitive. And I very much intend to win this election."

Change in the polls

Obama turned to his fiercest supporters on the day when the first major national poll since his presidential debate with GOP nominee Mitt Romney appeared. A national survey of likely voters by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center found Romney leading Obama 49 to 45 percent. However, Obama still leads slightly, but close to the margin of error, in several key swing states. It was the first national poll in some time to put Romney in front.

The president was met by an ideological rainbow of about 75 protesters outside the Civic Auditorium, including Code Pink antiwar activists protesting the use of drones in Pakistan, cannabis advocates upset about the federal crackdown on medicinal marijuana and Tea Party conservatives who countered supporters' chants of "four more years" with yells of "four more weeks."

"I want (the Obama administration) to know that there are people in the country that don't like his policies," Nina Pellegrini of Montara said.

Jason Matherne, 31, a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, said, "Whether you vote for President Obama or you vote for Gov. Romney, you're voting for more trauma to be inflicted upon service members and upon the people of Afghanistan." Matherne wants Americans to skip voting this year.

In his rally speech, Obama said he would use the money saved from ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to rebuild America's roads, schools and infrastructure.

Obama critiqued a foreign policy speech Romney made Monday. The president said that during the speech at the Virginia Military Institute, his opponent "said ending the war (in Afghanistan) is a mistake. ... I disagree. Bringing our troops home is the right thing to do.

"As long as I am the commander in chief, we will sustain the strongest military ... the world has ever known," Obama told the crowd.

Obama was picking apart Romney's promise in that speech to "pursue a real and successful transition to Afghan security forces by the end of 2014," which Obama is seeking, while also calling's Obama's drawdown of the troops "a politically timed retreat that abandons the Afghan people."

Obama's San Francisco fundraisers capped a day when he also scheduled an official appearance in California, a strongly Democratic state that he normally visits to raise cash - he has had 17 fundraisers here since taking office.

The official appearance had political implications too - it was a major nod to Latinos as he addressed several thousand supporters in Keene (Kern County), where he dedicated a national monument to Cesar Chavez. The civil rights icon and co-founder of the United Farm Workers is revered in the Latino community, which represents 15 percent of the California electorate.

Dedication at La Paz

Obama earned support from Latino leaders like California Assembly Speaker John Pérez (D-Los Angeles) and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as he designated Chavez's former home and headquarters as a national monument on the property known as Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz (Our Lady Queen of Peace), or La Paz.

Taking the stage, Obama shouted "Si, se puede" - the motto of the United Farm Workers, which translates to "Yes, it can be done" - and the crowd responded with the same refrain, along with a chant of "four more years!"

"Today, La Paz joins a long line of national monuments - stretching from the Statue of Liberty to the Grand Canyon - monuments that tell the story of who we are as Americans," Obama told them.

"But it's also a story of people - of determined, fearless, hopeful people who have always been willing to devote their lives to making this country a little more just and a little more free," he said. Obama noted that "Cesar worked for 25 years without a major victory ... but he never gave up."

The president's recognition of Chavez came on a day when a Latino Decisions poll showed that 72 percent of Latino voters said that if the election were held today, they would vote for Obama, compared with 20 percent for Romney.

Obama ended the day at a concert for 6,000 supporters at the Civic Auditorium with singer John Legend and Michael Franti of Spearhead. Tickets started at $100 per person. Local coverage was allowed at both the Civic events, but not at the round table at the InterContinental.

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